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Maritimes to Memphis International Blues Challenge

October 3rd, 2013

The inaugural edition of the East Coast Blues Society 'Maritimes to Memphis' International Blues Challenge was held last night at Monte's Showbar and Grill.

In the Band category, we are excited to announce that Dan Doiron will represent the ECBS in Memphis in January 2014.

In the Solo/Duo category Leeboy emerged as the winner on the previous night of the challenge.

It turned out to be a very close race in the Band and Solo/Duo categories, again showing just how much high quality Blues talent we have in The Maritimes. Each and every artist provided some great entertainment and the ECBS is grateful to everyone who helped make their inaugural event a lot of fun, including judges, performers, volunteers and attendees.

The winning artists will travel to Memphis, TN in January 2014 to compete internationally.

What is the IBC?

The world's largest gathering of Blues acts representing an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to take their act to the international stage. The IBC is a judged "Battle of the Bands" in which competitors take the stage and play a short set for a panel of judges. The acts are judged based on an established set of criteria. Each Affiliate of The Blues Foundation has the right to send a band and solo/duo act to represent the organization at the IBC in Memphis, TN. Affiliates are required to stage a regional preliminary IBC competition, where the winner of that competition earns the right to represent the Affiliate at the Memphis international competition. In 2013, 125 bands and 80 solo/duo acts entered, filling the clubs up and down Beale Street for the quarter-finals on Wednesday and Thursday, the semi-finals on Friday and the finals at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. The 2014 International Blues Challenge will be the 30th year of Blues musicians from around the world competing for cash, prizes, and industry recognition.

The 30th annual International Blues Challenge runs in Memphis, TN on historic Beale St from Wednesday January 22nd – Saturday January 25th, 2014